“No hard feelings,” is what Harbaugh said. That’s a good sign; however, there shouldn’t be any to begin with. It’s almost laughable to think that Alex can be upset with the 49ers for going after Peyton Manning. They were discreet, they were professional, oh, and they also had already offered Smith a deal. 24 million for 3 years with 8-10 million guaranteed. That’s a great deal for someone who notoriously known as a game-manager. If Alex accepted right then and there, Manning wouldn’t have been on the table in the first place. In that case, Alex, it’s your own damn fault this situation happened. Maybe some blame can go to Condon as well.

Alex may think he’s a big time QB now after making it to the NFC Championship but that’s just not the case. He didn’t have to do a whole lot, clearly – 17 TDs, 3,100 yards – thanks to a stout defense, a pro bowl runner in Frank Gore, and a vicious Tony Montana Special Teams squad that didn’t let anyone out of the 20. All Alex had to do was not make mistakes. Which he didn’t. He only had 5 interceptions for the whole year on 443 attempts. Two of which could be blamed on the receivers.

He did have some games where he took over and played at a very high level. First game, and second most important game in his career, that comes to mind is against the Saints in the Divisional round where he put together a miraculous drive that ended with a game winning TD to Vernon Davis. This play known as “The Catch III” or “The Grab” depending on who you talk to will forever be part of 49ers history. Secondly, there’s the game against the Lions where they handed them their first loss of the season. At home nonetheless. Another 4th quarter win by Alex Smith. He ended the season with 6 total.

His composure, mistake free, managerial game is what garnered him success. Not to mention Harbaugh’s resounding confidence in him week in and week out. This week not so much, but Manning is Manning. We all knew that Alex wasn’t going to find more of a sure thing than the 49ers. Plus, his whole career has only been about change. It would have been idiotic for him to leave now after finding success and consistency in the Bay.